NEW DELHI: A Narendra Modi-led government is likely to have the smallest Cabinet in recent years, and a sprinkling of well-known technocrats as junior ministers under Cabinet ministers who will be political heavyweights, according to people familiar with discussions about the likely contours of the next administration.

Further, a BJP government — the emergence of which was predicted by a raft of exit polls on Monday — is likely to embark on a significant reform of government by reducing the number of ministries over the medium term, according to people familiar with the matter.

Importantly, there will be no move to remove RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, said the people cited earlier, on account of the respect he commands at home and abroad.

Contrary to widespread speculation that important portfolios could go to technocrats, the top jobs in the Cabinet will continue to remain the domain of political heavyweights, said one of the persons. Arun Jaitley, the leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, is in pole position to become finance minister even if he suffers an electoral reversal in Amritsar.

Rajnath Singh, the party president, could be the next home or defence minister if he decides to give up the party role. The final choice would be left to Singh, said the people cited earlier. Sushma Swaraj, the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, would also get one of the top four portfolios. Her choice of portfolio is linked to that of Singh, i.e.- if the BJP president opts for home, then Swaraj could get defence. However, Nitin Gadkari, the former BJP president, is also a possible contender for the defence portfolio, said one of the people. If Gadkari enters the picture, Swaraj could get external affairs. Ravi Shankar Prasad, a prominent lawyer and party spokesman, could get the law portfolio.

Suresh Prabhu, a well-regarded Cabinet minister from the Vajpayee regime, could be the energy minister, heading a ministry that will subsume the existing petroleum & natural gas and power ministries as well as areas such as renewables. Similarly, a newly created infrastructure portfolio would encompass the current ministries of surface transport and railways. E Sreedharan, best known for building the Delhi Metro and before that the Konkan Railway, may be tapped for the position of minister of state to oversee the railway ministry.

Amit Shah, the BJP general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh, could be appointed minister of state in the PMO. However, if Rajnath Singh eventually opts to join the Cabinet, Shah could succeed him. Piyush Goyal, a member of the Rajya Sabha and the party's treasurer, could be a minister of state for finance.

Prabhat Kumar, a former Cabinet secretary from the Vajpayee era, is one of the names being considered for the position of principal secretary to the prime minister. The names of PK Mishra, a Gujarat cadre bureaucrat, and Ashok Chawla, former finance secretary and currently chairman of the Competition Commission of India (CCI), are also doing the rounds. For the Cabinet secretary, the seniormost civil servant of the 1976 batch, Sutanu Behuria, is believed to be in contention although the Times of India reported on Tuesday that Javed Usmani, the chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh, is the frontrunner.

If Usmani, a 1978 batch topper, were to get the job, he would bypass eight civil servants senior to him.

A Modi government would move to strengthen the Prime Minister's Office and streamline Centre-state relations by reviving bodies such as the Inter-State Council and the National Development Council.

The Finance Commission, which a Modi-led administration is likely to regard as the lynchpin of Centre-state relations, could see a change at the top. The current chairman, former RBI governor YV Reddy, is based in Hyderabad and a Modi government would prefer a Delhi-based head, said one of the people quoted earlier.

Arvind Panagariya, a wellknown economist, could become chairman of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council.

The current Cabinet has 71 members and the BJP Cabinet will be considerable smaller, one of the people cited earlier said. Over the course of a Modi regime, reforms would speed up with ministries such as commerce and even industry disappearing.